Cross references:

2 They ·want [covet] fields, so they take them;they ·want [covet] houses, so they ·take them away [seize them].They ·cheat [defraud; oppress] people to get their houses;they rob them even of their ·property [inheritance].

God Has Had Enough

2 1-5 Doom to those who plot evil,who go to bed dreaming up crimes!As soon as it’s morning,they’re off, full of energy, doing what they’ve planned.They covet fields and grab them,find homes and take them.They bully the neighbor and his family,see people only for what they can get out of them.God has had enough. He says,“I have some plans of my own:Disaster because of this interbreeding evil!Your necks are on the line.You’re not walking away from this.It’s doomsday for you.Mocking ballads will be sung of you,and you yourselves will sing the blues:‘Our lives are ruined,our homes and lands auctioned off.They take everything, leave us nothing!All is sold to the highest bidder.’”And there’ll be no one to stand up for you,no one to speak for you before God and his jury.

Footnotes:

To covet the “house” and other property of the neighbor was a violation of the Decalogue (Ex 20:17; 34:24; Dt 5:21).

The Lord, as owner of the earth, allotted the land by tribes and families to the people of Israel (Jos 13–19). Losing one’s inheritance diminished one’s place in the community and threatened the family’s economic viability and existence. According to Micah, those who used their power to expand their estates at the expense of weaker Israelites took more than land from them: they were tampering with the divine order.

2 They coveted fields, and took violently; and ravished houses, and falsely challenged a man and his house, a man and his heritage. (They coveted fields, and violently took them; and they robbed houses, and oppressed a man and his house, yea, every man and his inheritance.)